Saturday, November 16, 2013

Kobe Bryant: "If there was a playoff game tonight, I’d play"

Kobe Bryant
has yet to take the floor for the Lakers this season, after suffering a
torn Achilles injury back in April that required surgery and the
requisite amount of extensive rehab that traditionally follows.

L.A. is off to a predictably slow start, sitting at just 4-7 through the team’s first 11 games.
There remains no timetable for Bryant’s return, but if he is to be
believed, it could be sometime soon. Speaking in an interview with NBA
TV on Friday, Bryant says if these were playoff games, he would be back
on the court trying to help his team.

From Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles:

“I feel like I’m ahead of schedule,” Bryant told former
teammate Rick Fox in an interview for NBA TV on Friday. “If there was a
playoff game tonight, I’d play. I’d play. I don’t know how effective I’d
be, but I would play.

“The fadeaway still works, the ballhandling, being able to post.
Those are things that I can do right now. But it’s not the playoffs,
thank god.”

Bryant has been back on the practice court going through shooting
drills during the past week, according to Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni.
The attempts have been more of the game-ready, jump-shot variety than
the modified set shooting that Bryant was already able to do during
training camp.

What Bryant appears to be saying here is that he could help in a
limited capacity if it was absolutely necessary. But that doesn’t mean
you can expect to see him back on the floor before he’s as close to 100
percent physically as possible.

Bryant continues to say all the right things about his
rehabilitation. He has no target date set, because given his
personality, that would drive him to meet that goal at any cost, even if
it wasn’t the best thing for his long-term health.

As soon as he’s able to, Bryant will make his return. The question
remains whether or not his presence will help push this Lakers team to a
winning record, and maybe even a chance to compete in the playoffs.